This invention is in the field including tractor-trailer types of trucks having rear compartments for sleeping and other purposes. Motor truck cabs are typically mounted on a truck frame to tilt forward to facilitate service of the engine located beneath the cab. In the larger trucks, the cab is provided with a front compartment for holding the driver and passengers and an additional rear compartment provided to serve as a sleeper. For example, such a sleeper is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,081, issued to Jack E. Hockley and Ciro M. F. Rizzi and No. 4,351,554, issued to Gene H. Miller. It is desirable to provide a rear compartment designed to include many of the amenities typically found in a hotel room due to the desire to minimize the direct cost to the driver and in view of the large amount of time the driver spends on the highway. Several designs of sleeper compartments are on the market and include a variety of storage space and appliances. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,487, issued to Larry L. Spohn there is disclosed a plurality of storage bins arranged immediately adjacent a mattress. Different types of mattress suspension systems have also been provided such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,882,558, issued to Sheldon L. Christensen.
A major impediment to effective design of the rear compartment is the existence of the engine beneath the rear compartment along with the doghouse covering extending over the engine and having a generally inverted U-shaped configuration. Thus, a normal horizontal floor has heretofore been impossible due to the existence of the engine hump or covering. To alleviate this problem, one such approach is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,684, issued to Donald L. Stephens and Herbert H. Izuno wherein the rear compartment is located behind the engine. Such an approach is not always possible due to the undesirability of lengthening the cab and due to the existence of some cabs already on the market which do not extend behind the engine. Disclosed herein is a conversion structure which may be incorporated into cabs during initial construction or subsequent thereto. The conversion structure shortens the length of the conventional engine covering allowing for the installation of a horizontal floor sufficiently low in elevation to form a walkway. A uniquely designed seat and bed structure are positioned efficiently with respect to the walkway to allow use of the entire horizontal area in the rear compartment to serve as a sleeper during the night or as a bench and walkway during other times. Further, the structural relationship between the bench, doghouse and walkway are utilized to store a variety of appliances.